It’s easy to cook clams. Heat them in a flavorful broth a few minutes, then watch them pop open their shells and say “Hello Gorgeous!”
That’s my favorite line from Funny Girl. Though I don’t think Barbra Streisand’s Ms. Brice meant clams– or shellfish for that matter. Still I impersonate her tonality whenever faced with a big bowl of steaming clams. “Hello Gorgeous!”
You wouldn’t think of clams as gorgeous at first glance. And that’s my point. Clams are sweet. Clams are briny. Doesn’t that seem like an oxymoron?
But it may be these two opposing forces that make clams so unexpectedly sure of themselves. It gives them the Fanny Brice style self-esteem to unabashedly mingle with all sorts of partners. One of the boldest combinations I can think of is turmeric and roasted garlic. Turmeric and roasted garlic are great place to start for most any shellfish. Trust me. It’s a fact.
But habanero, turmeric and roasted garlic is really something to look at! Add stunningly fresh shellfish to this trio and you too will be quoting Funny Girl. So come on. Bring a large pot of this flavorful combination to a boil. Add clams and cover the pot. Lower the heat and shake a few times while they simmer. In less than 8 minutes the shells should have opened and the shellfish will be fragrant and cooked to perfection. Toss with linguine… “Hello Gorgeous!”
Spicy Turmeric & Habanero Clam Linguine
serves 4 CLICK here for a printable recipe
- 8 clv garlic, unpeeled
- 2 T kosher salt, plus more as seasoning as needed
- 1 lb dried linguine
- 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 t ground turmeric
- 1 habanero, seeded & minced, plus more as garnish if desired
- 2 c packed whole basil leaves plus 1/2 cup chopped basil
- 1 T coarsely cracked black pepper
- 1/4 c gin
- 1 c bottled clam juice
- 48 littleneck clams, scrubbed
- 1 lime, zest only
- 2 T fresh lime juice
- 4 T unsalted butter
- 1/2 t turmeric
- lime wedges, as needed
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Loosely wrap the garlic cloves in foil and bake for about 25 minutes, until very soft. Peel the garlic. Set aside.
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt. Drop the pasta into the boiling water, stir to separate and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Reserving the empty pot to use later.
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the garlic, turmeric and minced habanero and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add the whole basil leaves, black pepper, gin and clam juice, cover and cook over low heat until the liquid has reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Strain the reduction into the large large pot you boiled the linguine in, pressing on the solids.
Bring the strained liquid to a boil. Add the clams, cover and cook, shaking the pot a few times, until they start to open, 3 minutes; as the clams open, transfer them to a bowl and keep covered. When all of the clams have opened, boil the broth over high heat until reduced to about 2 cups of clam broth, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime zest and lime juice.
Add the cooked linguine to the pot with the reduced clam broth and toss to coat. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated into the sauce. Transfer the pasta to the pot, stirring to combine. Turn the pasta out onto a serving bowl. Top with the clams, chopped basil and additional minced habernero if desired. Serve warm with lime wedges on the side..
Adapted from Zakary Pelaccio
Greg Henry writes the food blog Sippity Sup- Serious Fun Food, and contributes the Friday column on entertaining for The Back Burner at Key Ingredient. He’s active in the food blogging community, and a popular speaker at IFBC, Food Buzz Festival and Camp Blogaway. He’s led cooking demonstrations in Panama & Costa Rica, and has traveled as far and wide as Norway to promote culinary travel. He’s been featured in Food & Wine Magazine, Los Angeles Times, More Magazine, The Today Show Online and Saveur’s Best of the Web. Greg also co-hosts The Table Set podcast which can be downloaded on iTunes or at Homefries Podcast Network.
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[…] Turmeric & Habanero Clam Linguine This recipe might not be for the weak stomached. The blend of turmeric and habanero coupled with clams, while […]
I’ve got to do more drinks on my blog, they look like so much fun!
While I do have to admit to not being a really, really big mint julep fan, I do enjoy one on occasion… muddled just as you made it. But best of all, I do have one of those silver cups!! It was actually my husband’s grandmothers, and she actually got it at a Kentucky Derby oh so many years ago. I have it sitting in my hutch and polish it once in a while, but I think you have motivated me to take it down and use it.
I love classic Southern cocktails like this — another favorite of mine is its cousin, the Whiskey Smash … as for any muddling controversy, I will always defer to how a drink is prepared at Commander’ Palace or the Swizzle Stick Bar!
I have plenty to do but I don’t want to do it. That’s why I’m here. I’ve been practising to be a fussbudget but I’m not very good at it. To be a proper fussbudget you really have to give a toss and frankly, I don’t.
I eat what I like and I drink what I like and I even drink it out of whatever I like.
A mint julep is a mighty fine drink on a hot day. It’s eff’n freezing here right now and pouring down rain. I think I could use a hot toddy. Got one?
This is my first visit to your very beautiful site. You’ll hear no fussbudgeting from me! Sure, tradition says a host ought to serve a Mint Julep in a sterling silver julep cup, but I say there are times to break with tradition. And when you want your readers to actually see the drink, as you wrote, and when you’ve got Dorothy Thorpe glassware, well, the choice is obvious. Every chic ’50 hostess used her Dorothy Thorpe glassware, and I say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. Thanks for a really terrific post. It is a pleasure to visit your site.
I am mad for Dorothy Thorpe I have hundreds (really) of her pieces in my collection. GREG
Hi Greg, Oh but I do so enjoy making the acquaintance of another Dorothy Thorpe admirer. How wonderful that you have a large collection. I gew up with her silver band glassware, bowls, plates and serving pieces, tableopt decorative pieces (candelabra, etc.) along with a most stunning set of white china. The cups were lined entirely in silver and the dinner plates had a stylized “C” inlaid along the left edge running the entire length of the left border. It was understated elegance and oh so very fifties, not to mention oh so very “my mom”. My sister and I spent many hours polishing it all when we were going to trot it out.
Ms. Thorpe made so many beautiful pieces, and I treasure them still. I continue to come across pieces I did not know existed — odd shaped bowls, compotes and serving pieces, candelabra, etc.
Recently I have begun collecting her gold band. When I first saw the gold band, it did not speak to me. I found it somewhat garish — teh gold was just too much. However, over time I have come to appreciate its warm tone, and I find the libations are shown off to particular advantage in it. Make a Negroni in a gold band double rocks glass, and it will be a Negroni like no other.
Thank you for your kind reply and also for your terrific site. I know I will visit often.
bye,
Adri
So a red Solo cup would be gauche?
… about the glass with the silver rim adding a touch of modernity. And I love the way the ice is heaped up, inviting me to take a big swig of julep before that ice makes a big mess!